Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-08-06
CHAPTER XVIII.
BESSIE rs PUT TO THE QUESTION

BESSIE IS PUT TO THE QUESTION.
Meanwhile another little tragedy was being
enacted at the back of tho house. After tie
one eyed witch doctor Hendrix had knocked
Silas Croft down and assisted in the pleasing
| operation of dragging him to the flagstaff, il
had occurred to his villainous heart that Tic
present would be a good opportunity To profit
personally by the confusion, and possibly to
add to the Englishman's misfortuncs by Lrin.
| him some injury on his own account. .Ac-
cordingly, just before Frank Muller b"rau to
read the dispatch announcing the English
surrender, he slipped away into the l.ous.,
which was now totally deserted, to SEQ VIVA.
he could steal. Passing into the sitting room,
he annexed Bessie's gold watch and chain,
which was lying IN the mantclpiccc, Il present
! that her uncle had made her on the Christmas
day before the last. Having pockct.l this he
proceeded to the kitchen, where there was a
goodly store Of silver forks and spoons that
Bessie had been engaged in cleaning that
morning, lying on the dresser ready to he put
away. These he also transferred, to the *
tent Of several dozens, to the capacious peck
cts of tho tattered military great coat that lie
wore. While doing 80 he was much dis
turbed by the barking Of the dog Stomp, the
same animal that had mauled him 80 severely
a few weeks before, and who wa now, as it
happened, tied up in his kennel-an old wine
barrel-just outside the kitchen door. Hen
dirk peeped out Of the window, and having
ascertained that the dog was secured, pro-
ceeded. with a diabolical chuckle, to settle his
account with the poor animal. He had left
his gun behind on the grass, but he still held
his assegai in his hand, and, going out Of the
kitchen door with 1t, he showed himself with
in a few feet Of the kennel. The dog recog-
nized him instantly, and wen nearly mad
with fury, making the most desperate efforts
to break its chain and get at him. For come mo
ments he stood exciting the animal by derisive
gestures and pelting it with stones, till at last,
fearing that the clamor would attract atten-
ton, he suddenly transfixed it with his spear,
and then, thinking that he was quite unob-
served, sat down and snuffed and enjoyed the
luxury Of watching the poor beasts last ago
MES.
But, as it happened, he was not::auite alone,
for, creeping along in the grass and rubbish
that grew on the further side Of the wall, his
brown body squeezed tightly against the
brown stones-so tightly that an Impractical
eye would certainly have failed to observe it
at a distance Of a dozen paces-was the Hot
tentot Jantje. Occasionally. too, he would
lift his head above the level Of the wall and
observe the proceedings of the one eyed man.
Apparently he was undecided what to do, for
ha hesitateda little, and while he did so Hen
dirk killed the dog.
Now Jantje had all a H%ottentots natural
love for animals, which is. generally speak
ing, as marked as is the Kaffir's callousness
toward them, and he was particularly fond
of the dog Stomp, which always went out
walking with him on those rare occasions
when he thought it safe or desirable to walk